media: November 2005 Archives

This Latin form of music and dance was the subject of Mari's a colloquim yesterday "aiming to throw out some thoughts and cultural sites for discussion" on translation and representation. Ivy Queen is one of the hottest stars. Her lyrics have been picked up even by several generations of women, not just youth. The talk about reggaeton - debates about the social issues it raises - apparently parallels talk about previous forms:

tango, whose lyrics spread "The secret tongue of "lunfardos", term used by thieves to refer to themselves. In this way watch became "bobo" (dumb-stupid) due to two characteristics, it is very easy to steal and it works all day long non-stop."

mambo: "Since the mambo there has never been a dance that has given rise to so much unbridled fantasy and pyrotechnics or reached such rhythmic rapture."

Merengue in the Dominican Republic.

Salsa didn't spread as widely - perhaps (!) because it's too hard for gringos to learn? ;-)

Three texts for Intro to Mass Communication that were passed on to me by Professor Jeffrey Klenotic, who's on sabbatical and thus, I have the opportunity to teach at UNH:

1. Stanley J. Baran, Introduction to Mass Communication (IMC), McGraw-Hill, 4rd edition.

2. Jarice Hanson & David Maxcy, Eds. Sources: Notable Selections in Mass Media (SNS), McGraw-Hill/Dushkin, 2nd edition.

3. Alison Alexander & Jarice Hanson, Eds. Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Mass Media and Society (TS), McGraw-Hill/Dushkin, 8th edition.

Radhika asks and the AoIR universe provides!

seedwiki

and

peanut butter wiki

Which will she choose?

If one wants to use the same software (wiki-engine) that runs wikipedia, here's MediaWiki.

I did see this ... wow. Grotesque, yes. A bit weird too. (Does such an opinion expose a puritanical streak?) I did laugh, although moreso revisiting it afterwards with my good pals than during. :-) DEFINITELY "boundary-crossing" stuff, which George Carlin articulates well. Fascinating look inside comedy as an institution, too. Anyone for a socioeconomic class interpretation? Or are we talking basic social unredeemability - sheer outrageous excess? I always want there to be a message. ;-)

What's the moral element in such totally and intentionally amoral performances?

Some of the European Field Studies folk are trying to get together to watch the original, 1973 version of The Wicker Man. Turns out is in the works...

"The color of my skin still marks me as an alien in the country of my birth" - Maya del Valle

"Going beyond the buzzwords of 'multiculturalism' and 'diversity,' RACE IS THE PLACE is a hip-hop, fast moving documentary jam, where the political becomes personal."

There is a brief preview available.

Hmm mm. Thanks Tanya, for posting to the social justice listserv.

The Third Annual Korean Film Festival takes UMass by storm!

Paraphrased from an email from Janice to the commgrad listserv: Here "is an NPR link to Talk of the Nation piece titled: The Changing Face of Television from Wed 11/15/05.

[An i]nteresting discussion about

*new delivery of television programs (paying for advertiser supported tv content through on demand) and

*the relationship between advertisers, broadcasters and consumers within a changing media environment.

*a TV exec saying that TVs primary work is selling audiences, and

*discussion of whether audiences will be willing to accept advertising in content they pay for (no discussion of product placement).

Interesting blogpost by Danah Boyd about Facebook as a public sphere where young people can "negotiate their peers and learn about the social world." The speeches in Public Speaking about Facebook emphasized its fun and useful qualities (although I have to seriously wonder if anyone really uses it to get notes from a missed class!) but also the risks of providing so much information to an unknown (and unknowable) public. Besides the debate on whether online communication somehow "takes away from" or "substitutes for" face-to-face communication, I'm wondering about differences between online "public speaking" and face-to-face public speaking.

"We are witnessing a collision between huge increases in the power to move information, and an equally enormous surge in the effort to lock it up." Editorial, The New York Times.

I haven't done any peer-to-peer file sharing myself (yet).

Billed as "he Premier International Conference on Television, Mobile, Advertising & Marketing, Cable & Satellite, Broadband, Motion Pictures, Publishing, Radio, Magazines, News & Print Media", I'm curious what kind of coverage this conference for mass media insiders will receive, where, and when.

Thanks, Nancy, for sharing it with the commgrad list!

Proposals to this student conference at Ohio State are due January 20. The conference itself is April 7-8...

My workshop leanings at the moment are toward:

Martin Kuhn (U North Carolina): Blogging Ethics
and
Bob Benz (Scripps Company): Reality Constraints of Online Journalism

Someday this might be helpful - TAMS, text analysis markup system.

An excellent resource for anyone interested in Democracy Online (seems to be based in Great Britain?)

Relevant articles from "top blogs".

Current discussion: Should voters expect privacy when seeking information about candidates online? Draft paper on international electoral standards and the Internet